Living a lavish lifestyle on social media? KRA is after you.
Kenya Revenue Authority commissioner Githii Mburu now says its time for everyone to pay their fair share of taxes, including socialites and other individuals who display their wealth on social media.
The social media sites targeted are Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook ,where most celebrities and socialites post their lavish lifestyles.
In a interview with the business daily, the KRA commissioner said they will check if your lifestyle matches your taxes.
“In the social media, we have some people posting some nice things. You would see some posting nice shoes, nice houses, cars taking their families to nice places. Here, were are not sleeping ,when we see those ,we see taxes” Mburu said
“We have our officers looking ,they have gadgets. When they see a big car passing, they key in the number plates to check. We are working exceptionally hard,” he said.
KRA will also be scrutinizing information from bank statements, import records, motor vehicle registration details, Kenya Power records, water bills and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCCA) to reveal tax cheats.
Individuals building luxurious homes without revealing the sources of their wealth will also be investigated.
“We know you can build a house from loans. But that loan must be repaid from somewhere. We are following all those applying for meters,” says Mburu.
Its reported that Kenya alone could be losing hundreds of billions in lost tax revenue arising out of tax evasion schemes annually.